A Day in the Life of Jason Wu

Glam checked in with designer Jason Wu in the week’s leading up to his Spring 2011 show to get the scoop on his hectic schedule.  Here, Wu shares his day with Glam:

Thursday, August 26, 2010

8 AM: I wake up and check my phone while I’m still in bed. This morning I’ve been working a lot with Paris and Italy so I’ve got up even earlier to check FedEx, DHL and UPS to see what’s coming in– last minute fabric and my accessories. Last night I went to bed around 2am which is pretty normal for me so I basically don’t sleep.

8:15 AM: I get up and feed my cats Peaches and Jinxy. I have two. If I get three then I’m a cat lady. I’m safe!

8:30 AM: Take a shower and get dressed. At this point I’ve checked my email five times

9 AM: I get a cab and I go to work. It takes me 7 minutes to get to work generally. I take a cab to work every day and always check first to see if they take credit cards. I have a daily battle with cab driver over whether or not the card machine is working. I’m always antsy and just want to get to work.

9:08 AM: I stop at Starbucks on 35th and 7th to get a venti vanilla skinny late. It’s so busy at that corner. Its one of the two I will have today. No breakfast! I’m about to do the Blueprint cleanse on Friday and Saturday and since I don’t have time to eat anyway its good to do it then to stay hydrated. I do the cleanse 1-2 days a week when it’s crunch time. I don’t remember to eat all the time so the juice is nutritious. I do it two days a week. I’ve been working Saturday and Sunday for the past two weeks. I run so much on adrenaline so sleep and food doesn’t really matter to me. It’s the pure excitement of gearing up!

9:15-9:45 AM: I get to work, check my email, and read WWD to catch up. Then I go straight into attack mode.

9:45 AM: I check the mini board to see what’s new today. I look at the looks board and check in with everyone to get reoriented. I have 20 employees + army of interns. I’m also working on the TSE capsule collection for Spring and they rented space on the 4th floor of my building so I stop in there as well. I check in with everybody at one point. We get everyone geared up and we go through the plan.

11:30 AM: Our fit model comes in and we’re in fittings every day for 2-3 hours, but there are occasional 8 hour days. I’m hands on, pinning and reworking garments.  I have a seamstress, pattern maker, design assistant and senior designer in the meeting and we’re all hands on. One of my favorite things in my work is the actual pinning, draping and designing part of it. There is so much coordinating that fitting is therapeutic and challenging. It’s the best part. I do 80% of the fitting myself. Our pattern maker made me a little pillow because I’m always on my knees pinning. It has my name on it! I ruin all my jeans so she decided to help.

3 PM: Eat a quick lunch while I’m working. Today I had a rice ball from a Japanese Deli across from the New York Public Library. They have authentic Japanese rice balls that consist of salmon wrapped in seaweed with rice around it. It’s easy to eat while I’m in the fitting.

3:35 PM: New outdoor furniture arrives from Restoration Hardware. I got a couple benches, but I’m still missing a table. Plus the chair cushion came in the wrong color so I had to send it back. Now I can hang outside. I like to talk on the phone out there, it’s relaxing.

4:15 PM: Just finished up today’s fitting.

4:20PM: Chat with Glam about my fashion week routine.

5 PM: I refuel with my second skinny vanilla late of the day.

5:15 PM: I check in with our factory to make sure things are coming along together and reconnect with the team to check on their status. I don’t like to be left out. I feel very involved and passionate about what I do. In order to be a leader in my company I need to understand what everyone does and know the bigger picture. I don’t have to micromanage but I have my hand in everything at all times. I love the process.

7:30 PM: We have dinner together at the office at our dining table as we do every night when we’re finishing a collection. I feel strongly about it. During such a busy time, it’s really important for the team to feel connected. It’s a little bit like a family. We brought in from Ravagh Persian Grill, which is one of our favorite places. We get the chicken and beef kabobs, baba ganoush with pita bread, chopped salad and lots of hummus always.
Tuesday was massage day; we had a masseuse come in and we all got massages. I always do that on the day before I overwork the staff. It’s a stressful time and we have to enjoy what we do.

10 PM: Leave the office and head back to my apartment.

10:30 PM: I catch up on DVR. Recently it has been Real Housewives of New Jersey. My other favorite shows are Top Chef and Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. I also love the Great American Food Truck Race. I’m obsessed with the Food Network and Investigation ID, those murder mysteries!

1AM: I generally get a burst of ideas before I go to bed so I have my little sketch pad with me at all times. It’s a great way to record my ideas before I go to bed so when I wake up I can remember anything I thought of. Last night I was trying to figure out some dresses for the end of the show and how I want the silhouette to be. Generally King of the Hill is playing in the background while I sketch. It’s good to have something totally un fashion related playing when your doing fashion related things.

2AM: Lights Out! Good Night!